Refrigerating unit



R. M. HYDE Sept. 6,1927. 1,641,853

REFRIGERATI NG UNIT Filed July 12, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I l l I l 1 lI y i T 1 fizzm zggg ze,

' ters hereinafter described and claimed.

- generally em loyed.

Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROLLIN 1a. HYDE, on DE ROIT, MIon IeAN, ASSIGNOR To M06031) RADIATOR &MFG.

co., or DETROIT,- MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

REFRIGERATING UNIT.

' Application filed July 12, 1926. Serial No. 121,820.

This invention relates to refrigerating units for electricrefrigerators.

One object of my invention is to make the unit of sheet metal so thatthe hollow sections through which the rcfrigerantcirculates may be madefromstampings, and thus be produced cheaper than cast units or unitsformed of headers and tubes as heretofore -An ther ob ect of myinvention is to stamp the front and rear .walls of each section fromsheet metal and secure such walls together about their meeting edges bylock seams so as to obtain leak proof joints.

A further object of my invention is to connect the sections of the unitstogether for circulation of the refrigerant therethrough by providinglock joints between the connections at the respective sections, therebyb! taining leak proof joints as well as utilizing the connections asmeans for spacing the sections apart to permit the passage of airbetween the same, as required in the operation of a unit.

A further object of my invention, is to provide a container supportingfixture for use with the chilling compartment of the unit such fixturebeing removable from such compartment so that containers larger thanthose supported by the fixture may be used in the compartment.

The invention consists further in the mat- In the accompanyingdrawings-- Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerating unit constructed inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 3 isan enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the indirect line33 of Fig. 1

to show the control valve within the unit;

, Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 .ofFig. 3; i I

Fig. 5 is a front view of the unit, showing the, container supportingfixture in the chilling compartment thereof;

, Fig. 6 is a horizontal's'ectional view taken on line of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 'is a vertical section taken on line 7-- 7ofFig 6.

As shown in the drawings, the refrigerating-unit comprises a pluralityof 'hollow sections 1, 1 preferably vertically disposed and joinedtogether for the circulation of a refrigerant therethrough. Each sectionhas front and rear walls 2, 3 stamped or pressed from sheet metal of theshape desired and having within the margins thereof upper and loweropenings 4, 5. The sectrons are joined together with their respectiveupper and lower openings in alignment to form the float and chillingcompartments, respectively, of the unit.

. The walls 2, 3 of each section are provided edges and also about theedges of the open- 1ng 5, said flanges being secured together forconnecting these walls. In the drawings, I have shown these flangesconnected together by lock seams, such being accomplished by havlng oneflange, namely, the one 7 made long enough so as to be bent over andcrlmped about the other flange 6. This provides a leak proof connectionfor the two walls of the section.

The walls 2, 3 of each section are provided about their upper openings 4with outwardly drawn tubular projections 8, 8. The sectlons are arrangedwith these proectlons meeting so. as to space the sections apart for thepassage of air between them, as requrred in the operation of the unit.These projections 8 may be secured together In any manner desired so asto connect the sections together for the flow of the refrigeranttherethrough. In Fig. 3, I have shown 7 the projections 8 connectedtogether by lock seams, this being accomplished by provid- Ing themeeting edges of the projections with surrounding flanges 9, 10 with thelatter made long enough so asto be bent over and crimped about theshorter flange 9. In stamping out the rear wall for the rearmost sectionof the unit, the tubular projection 8,0f that wall is left unpierced Ior closed so as to provide a closure for the rear end of the floatcompartment, as indiwith marginal flanges 6, 7 about their outer catedin Fig. 2. The front wall of the front 1 section of the unitis cut outor pierced at the opening 4, but not tothe full extent of the opening,so as toprovide a relatively wide flange 11, as shown in Fig. 3. 12 issecured on the outside of'this flange by a number of bolts 13, 13, asshown; Threaded bosses 14, 14 are provided on the inside of this wall toreceive/the inner endsof the screws, these bosses being connectedtogetherby a ring as shown. The plate 12 A plate is provided with inletand outlet bosses, 15, 16, to which suitable inlet and outlet pipes areconnected, as indicated in Fig. 3. The boss continues into 'a boss 17extending rearward from the plate and through the connecting ring of thebosses 14. The boss 17 is provided with an inlet passage 18, which opensinto the float compartment, such opening being controlled by a needlevalve 19. Said valve is slidably mounted in a lower boss 20 on the plate12 and extending inward therefrom. To raise and lower the valve, a float22 is located within the compartment formed within the hollow sectionsbythe alignment of the openings 4. The float 22 has its stem 23fulcrumed at 24 to the plate 12 on the inside. Said stem has a verticalslot 25 for the valve 19 to pass through it, said valve being connectedwith the stem by a pin 26 working in elongated horizontal openings 27 inthe stem, as shown in detail in Fig. 4:.

The outlet 16 at the unit is connected with the suction side of, thecompressor. while the inlet 15 is connected with the refrigerant supply,the float 22 functioning to operate the valve 19 as the level of therefrigerant varies within the hollow sections of the unit, in accordancewith the operation of devices of this kind.

The chilling compartment, as provided by the aligned openings 5, 5 ofthe several sections, is large enough to receive a fairly good sizevessel or container 28, as inclicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Inorder that this compartment may accommodate a number of smallercontainers, such as may be required when making pans of ice or freezingice-cream, etc., I provide a fixture which may be inserted in andremoved from this compartment. This fixture is illustrated in Figs. 5 to7. It comprises two side members 29, 29, both ,made alike. Each memberis stamped from sheet metal and has a length to extend through thechilling compartment from front to rear. Each side member has endflanges 30, 3O bent back from the body 31 of the member, said flangesgripping or snapping over the locked flanges 6, 7 of the front andrearmost sections 1, 1 of the unit, as illustrated in Fig. 6. The bodyportion of each member is stamped out to provide a plurality of flanges32, 32, which when the member is in place in the chilling compartmentextend inward and align with the corresponding flanges on the other sidemember, as shown in Fig. 5. These flanges providesupports-for a numberof containers 33, 33, as shown in Fig. 5. When it isdesired to placealarger container in the chilling compartment, the fixture justdescribed'in removed therefrom.

To support the unit above the floor of the ice box in which the unit isplaced, I provide the unit with a number of feet 34, 34..

These are in the form of adjusting screws so that the unit may beleveled. These screws have relatively large heads and their threadedshanks or stems take into parts 35, 35 associated with side members 36,36 arranged beneath the sections of the unit. These side members 36 arepreferably formed of sheet metal and are stamped to have generallyV-shape and are "arranged with their side walls extending upwardly, saidwalls being cut out at a number of places in their length to accommodatethe lower portions of the sections of the unit, as clearly shown in Fig.2.

By having the unit made entirely of sheet metal, it is not only light inweight, but it may be economically and cheaply made because the walls ofthe various sections may be readily and quickly stamped from sheetmetal, scrap metal being used when available. The relatively thin wallsprovided by the sheet metal allow for radiation, this being helped byhaving the lock flanges 6, Tot the unit extend beyond the walls thereof,so as to provide additional extended radiating surfaces. Moreover, theunits may he enameled on the outside so as to give a pleasing andsanitary appearance and thus permit the units to be installed inice-boxes without the use of shields to hide them, as is the case withcast units or those made of tubing, as heretofore employed.

The details of structure may be variously changed and modified withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention. Moreover theflanges 6, 7 of each unit could be welded in placeof being crimped.

I claim as my invention:

1. A refrigerating unit for refrigerating machines, comprising aplurality of hollow sections joined togetherfto contain a refrigerant,each section having front and rear walls formed of sheet metal withregistering openings within the margins of said walls, said sectionsbeing arranged with the registering openings in the walls of therespective sections aligned toform the chilling compartment of theunits, the walls of each section being secured together about theirouteredges and about the edges of the registering openings therein, saidunit having refrigerant inlet and outlet means above said chillingcompartment. 7 g

2. A refrigerating unit for refrigerating machines, comprising aplurality of hollow sections, each section having front and rear wallsformed of sheet metal with upper and lower registering openings withinthe margins of said walls,said sections being joined together at theupper openings in the walls thereof and having the lower 0 nings in saidwalls in alignment to form t e chilling compartment of the unit, thewalls of each section being secured together about their outer edges andabout the edges of the lower openings therein, said unit havingrefrigerant inlet and outlet means in line with said upper openings. 7

3. A refrigerating unit for refrigerating machines, comprising a'plurality of hollow sections joined together to contain a refrigerant,each section having frontand rear walls formed of sheet metal withregistering openings within the margins of said walls, said sectionsbeing'arcranged with the registering openings in the walls of therespective sections aligned to form the chilling compartment of theunit, the walls of the meansabove the chilling several sections beingflanged about their outer edges and sections joined together tocontainarefrig-- erant, each section having frontand rear walls formedof sheet metal with registering openings within the margins of saidwalls, said sections" being arranged with the registering openings inthe walls of the respective sections aligned to form the chillingcompartment of the unit, the walls of the several-sectio nsbeing securedtogether about their outer edges and about the edges of theirregistering openings with flanges at said openings extending into thesame, and apair of members insertible in said' compartment at theopposite sides thereof and having means to snap over the flanges of"certain of said sections, and container supports. carried by said-members. i

x 5. A refrigerating unit for refrigerating machines',-comprising aplurality of hollow sections, each section having front and rear wallsstamped from sheet metal with upper and lower registering openingswithin the "margins of said walls, said sections being arranged with theopenings in the walls of the respective sections in alignment withthelower openings-forming the chilling comthe flanges extending outwardpartment of the unit, the walls of the several sections being securedtogether about their outer edges and about the'edges of their'loweropenings, and tubular portions drawn from the wallsat-the upperopeningsand being secured together to provide communication between the sectionsand space them apart so that air may circulate between the same, saidunit having inlet, and outlet means for the refrigerant inline with saidupper open ngs.

6. A refrigerating unit for refrigerating machines, comprising aplurality of hollow sections formed ofsheet metal and connected tocontain a refrigerant, said sections having aligned openings forming thechilling compartment'of the unit, said unit having re-' frigerant inletand outlet, openings above said chilling compartment, and valve meanscarried by, the unit for controlling the supply' of refrigerant to thesections,- through said inlet opening.

'7. A refrigeratlng unit for refrigerating 3 machines, comprising aplurality of hollow sections formed ofsheet metal and connected togetherto contain a refrigerant and to provide a communicating passage betweenthem, and afloat valve'located in said passage for controlling thesupply of refrigerant tothe sections, the latter being formed to providea chilling compartment for the unit.

,;8. A refrigerating unit for refrigerating w machines, comprising aplurality of hollow sections, each section having front and rear wallsformed from sheet metal with upper vand lower openings in each of saidwalls,

said sections being joined together at the upper openings in the Wallsthereof to contain a refrigerant and having the lower openings 1n sa1dwalls aligned to form the chilling compartment of the unit, the walls ofeach section being securedtogetherabout their outer edges and about theedges of the lower openings therein, and a "float valve located in thepassage provided by the upper openings for controlling the supply ofrefrigerant to the sections. 1 In testimony whereof I aifix my signaturethis 6th day of J ly, 1926.

.ROLLIN M,

